Subject:Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon06/29/07 at 10:27 am

I get email, maybe once a month or so, from someone who wants to contact a parody author to use a parody in a news report or a company newsletter, etc. If you don't have an email address or a web page listed on the parody, I have no means to forward these requests.

If people are anxious about their email address being viewable to the world, I suppose I could add in another field that would be optional for people to fill in.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:EthanMon06/29/07 at 10:36 am

For anyone who is reading this, you could probably forward the information through a personal message on inthe00s, which is what I think happened when someone wanted to interview me about my lucky charms parody a while ago. The non messageboard members are probably much harder to contact.

I would include my email address on my parody author page if I could access the bio form. I'm not sure why, but I haven't been able to do so for years.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:agrimorfeeon06/29/07 at 11:00 am

If people are anxious about their email address being viewable to the world, I suppose I could add in another field that would be optional for people to fill in.

Eh, why bother? People will still bug you first for the info, Chucky. Maybe leave a disclaimer somewhere on the site that you do not carry such information. People who really need to contact someone on the 'net should be using google and other means if they really need to contact them badly.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon06/29/07 at 12:26 pm

For anyone who is reading this, you could probably forward the information through a personal message on inthe00s, which is what I think happened when someone wanted to interview me about my lucky charms parody a while ago. The non messageboard members are probably much harder to contact.

I would include my email address on my parody author page if I could access the bio form. I'm not sure why, but I haven't been able to do so for years.

The only way to update a bio is to send me a new one right now. I think the bio form broke two server moves back and I wasn't even aware anyone still used it.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon06/29/07 at 12:28 pm

Eh, why bother? People will still bug you first for the info, Chucky. Maybe leave a disclaimer somewhere on the site that you do not carry such information. People who really need to contact someone on the 'net should be using google and other means if they really need to contact them badly.

Newspaper reporters generally have a tight deadline. If you make it difficult to be reached, you'll be overlooked for someone easier to find. I don't mind being contacted, but I hate the fact that I can't pass along contact info. I think a majority of people, if asked, would be happy to see something on the site reprinted in a larger forum such as a newspaper or magazine.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:agrimorfeeon06/29/07 at 1:07 pm

Newspaper reporters generally have a tight deadline. If you make it difficult to be reached, you'll be overlooked for someone easier to find. I don't mind being contacted, but I hate the fact that I can't pass along contact info. I think a majority of people, if asked, would be happy to see something on the site reprinted in a larger forum such as a newspaper or magazine.

Aha, you are right, Chuck. I work in a Pr-related business and get that completely. At first, I didn't realize that's what you were referring to.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:Step-chanon06/29/07 at 4:18 pm

Come to think of it, I've never sent a email for my Author bio.

I need to do that soon.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:skittleskingon06/29/07 at 4:31 pm

Come to think of it, I've never sent a email for my Author bio.

I need to do that soon.

Me either honestly. . .I'll do one, but right now I'm hanging out with Red Ant while he's in town

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:Step-chanon06/29/07 at 7:13 pm

Me either honestly. . .I'll do one, but right now I'm hanging out with Red Ant while he's in town

I've talked to him on the phone before.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:philboon07/02/07 at 5:23 am

The only way to update a bio is to send me a new one right now. I think the bio form broke two server moves back and I wasn't even aware anyone still used it.

Can't remember, Chucky - what does a bio need to be wrapped in (i.e. does it need <body></body> tags, etc), what can we get away with wrt embedded stuff, too?

Mine could really do with updating...

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon07/02/07 at 8:49 am

Can't remember, Chucky - what does a bio need to be wrapped in (i.e. does it need <body></body> tags, etc), what can we get away with wrt embedded stuff, too?

Mine could really do with updating...

doesn't need to be html encoded, can be if you want. Just basic tags like paragraph <p> and <b> and <i> are fine (and links).

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:philboon07/02/07 at 12:16 pm

What I was wondering was whether I could use either a table or something like a set of combos with an onchange (or button) that jumps to a parody - there's hundreds there now, and it's a bit much to expect somebody to scroll through: I was wanting to categorise, pick out a favourite dozen by genre / subject. That sort of thing. Don't know if what you're using will allow that sort of thing, but it'd be nice to have.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon07/02/07 at 1:12 pm

What I was wondering was whether I could use either a table or something like a set of combos with an onchange (or button) that jumps to a parody - there's hundreds there now, and it's a bit much to expect somebody to scroll through: I was wanting to categorise, pick out a favourite dozen by genre / subject. That sort of thing. Don't know if what you're using will allow that sort of thing, but it'd be nice to have.

Probably not a bad idea for me to just build in a new author bio system. I'm not sure if a table will be ok, probably would be. Most people just give a list of a couple favorite parodies.

I'm going to rewrite the author pages scripts this week. I have to remove the voting averages from the main author page, and I'm thinking of something that would maybe show a day-by-day change in votes and comments. Authors with over 100 parodies are going to see multiple pages to list their parodies, and the whole "sort" function is probably going to disappear.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:philboon07/02/07 at 2:27 pm

If you're doing that...

...any chance of a counter on the author page? (though I'm not sure if a free webcounter site would like hundreds of new hits coming.. I guess it depends on whether your server can handle it)

I can see the rationale behind removing the sort/voting totals: there must be many times the number of parodies/votes compared to when you started doing it.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon07/02/07 at 6:11 pm

If you're doing that...

...any chance of a counter on the author page? (though I'm not sure if a free webcounter site would like hundreds of new hits coming.. I guess it depends on whether your server can handle it)

I can see the rationale behind removing the sort/voting totals: there must be many times the number of parodies/votes compared to when you started doing it.

I tried a view count before, and it didn't work out too well. I suppose if there were a free web counter service that wasn't too obnoxious I could make something work.

that's exactly the problem. When I designed the site, I was only expecting a dozen parodies a week, not two dozen a day (or 50 a day, which at one point was more the norm). So some of the design considerations are now showing their weaknesses. I think if I rewrite it in PHP it'll run a lot faster than the old PERL script does.

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:John Jenkinson07/03/07 at 4:14 pm

I get email, maybe once a month or so, from someone who wants to contact a parody author to use a parody in a news report or a company newsletter, etc.

Chucky:Are there any common characteristics of parodies that attract the interest of newspapers or newsletters?

Subject:Re: Make sure you have some means of contact on your parodies

Written By:ChuckyGon07/03/07 at 4:59 pm

Chucky:Are there any common characteristics of parodies that attract the interest of newspapers or newsletters?

topical stuff. I wouldn't say political per say, but topics that are currently being discussed a lot tend to be the target. The last request was for someone who had a global warming disbelief type parody. Not exactly political, but certainly a hot button issue. William Tong had a couple anti-war parodies on the site when the current Iraq war started, which is what got the notice of US Today.

Newsletters are a different subject. In that case, something that appeals to a seldom talked about niche that might have a big following might be interested.